


Bonding

by amonkeysue



Series: because I knew you [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Food Supports Friendships, Gen, Minor Clint Barton, Minor Tony Stark - Freeform, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Tumblr Prompt, partially canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-18 19:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20197159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amonkeysue/pseuds/amonkeysue
Summary: In the wake of everything that happened with Ultron and building the larger Avengers roster, Natasha aims to connect with Wanda.





	Bonding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Determined_Overthinker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Determined_Overthinker/gifts).

> This was for a prompt over on Tumblr from to-kill-a-mockinggirl: "Natasha teaching Wanda something and shenanigans ensuing!"

After the whole jacket thing and despite Clint’s reassurances that Natasha really didn’t have any hard feelings, she just liked to be wry, Wanda was still a little uncertain about her.

And it was manageable, most of the time, to try and casually avoid her around the Avengers Compound. Sometimes it was staying up all night with Vision and enjoying his reading poetry to distract her mind, sometimes it was hanging out with Clint and sharing quiet stories about Pietro, sometimes it was learning to spar with Steve.

She shouldn’t have been surprised when he pulled Natasha in to help with that, knowing her skillset.

“You’re still nervous,” Natasha evenly noted, standing across from Wanda on the training mat with both arms folded.

She attempted to casually shrug in response. “I’m not used to physical fighting.”

“Yeah, I know that. Doesn’t mean you have to keep on hesitating about being around me.” The corner of Natasha’s mouth quirked upward. “We’re on the same side now and I promise I’m not holding any grudges about the jacket.” She nodded towards Wanda. “It suits you anyway.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Wanda?”

She only hesitated for a split second. “Yes?”

Natasha’s smile had become fully evident. “How would you feel about skipping out on Rogers’ sparring plan for the day?”

Wanda broke into a small smile back. “I certainly would not mind.”

“Here.” Natasha unfolded her arms and gestured while she started to head for the closest training room exit, only pausing to grab her water bottle as she went out. “Just don’t tell him about this, obviously,” she called back over her shoulder.

“Obviously,” Wanda repeated, maintaining her smile as she followed Natasha and also only pausing to pick up her water bottle from the side of the mat.

Natasha checked back over her shoulder midway along the outside hallway to make sure that Wanda was actually following. “How much baking did you do growing up?”

“Er, not a lot.” Wanda questioningly arched both brows. “Why?”

A small laugh escaped Natasha. “Don’t tell anyone else about this, but we’re going to bake.”

“Not even Clint?”

It wasn’t as though the deep bond between Clint and Natasha was a secret, after all.

“Clint already knows about this particular secret, so he’s good,” Natasha consented with a knowing smile. “For everyone else though, I feel like I’ve got something of a reputation to maintain. I only feel like revealing certain tricks to certain people.”

Wanda blinked. “Oh.”

Natasha glanced back at her over her shoulder. “We trust you, Maximoff.”

“I… thank you.”

“Just let me try some bonding and I won’t mention it again if you don’t want,” Natasha lightly replied.

Wanda gave a small smile. “I’d like the bonding.”

With Natasha leading the way, they headed straight for her suite in the compound, only pausing to make sure Steve wasn’t in any of the public areas they passed.

“Are you familiar with medovik?” Natasha asked as they set their water bottles down in her kitchen before she moved to pull out a cookbook.

“Familiar enough.” Anticipating Natasha’s next question, Wanda added on, “I’m not particular about a particular recipe.”

“Hopefully you like this one well enough then.”

With instructions from Natasha around her kitchen, Wanda helped to stir the base of the batter while Natasha beat several eggs, moving on into completing the dough and rolling it out.

In between switching out dough layers for baking, they casually began to discuss their memories of medovik. Natasha had vague recollections of having it several times when she was younger, always happy to have the treat of the honey cake despite whatever outside circumstances were. They were good enough memories that she had sought out a favorite recipe after she was settled with SHIELD. For Wanda, it was a treat she and Pietro had often had growing up while her parents were still alive. Occasional interactions with kindhearted babushkas also had given several fond memories with medovik over the years, and she had especially enjoyed seeing everyone’s individual twists over the years.

With the layers and dough scraps baked, Wanda made crumbs of the scraps while Natasha quickly whipped up the frosting before they began assembling the cake. Wanda frosted the layers, Natasha positioned them until they had the full cake, frosted and covered in the crumbs.

“That was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be,” Wanda commented.

“This recipe doesn’t need any double boiling, it’s nicer than a lot of other recipes in that regard.” Natasha covered the cake in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. “Anything I can get you while the medovik sits?”

Wanda glanced at the clock on the oven. “Ah, I probably should be meeting Vision, we were planning on testing several aspects of my powers.”

Natasha nodded and waved a hand at her. “We’ll find a good time to eat it tomorrow.” She quirked a brow with a near smirk. “How much time do you have for bonding, Maximoff?”

“That depends.” Wanda started to smile back. “What did you have in mind?”

“There are a few movie recommendations I have for when you’re about to be spending a whole lot more time with a group of Americans.”

“Let me know when, and I can be here.”

\--

The medovik had turned out great, and Natasha and Wanda were both sitting on the couch with a slice in front of A New Hope when a knock came from the door.

“Romanoff!” Tony called from the other side.

Natasha immediately gave a small sigh, setting her slice aside as she started to shift off the couch. “I’ll handle this,” she murmured to Wanda as she moved past.

Before she could reach the door Clint had opened it, concern in his eyes and with his full uniform on. “Nat, you weren’t answering and we’ve got- hey.” His expression shifted to quizzical as he noticed the TV and Wanda. “You’re showing Wanda Star Wars without me? And you made medovik?”

“I was saving some for later,” Natasha replied while Wanda surreptitiously paused the movie, angling back from where she sat to watch by the door.

Tony was right behind Clint and had curiously stopped a step inside the room. “You bake?”

Another sigh escaped Natasha as she folded her arms. “Occasionally.” She pointedly cleared her throat. “What’s the situation?”

Clint spoke over Tony. “Fury said he got a tip about some kind of alien attack coming, says he’s got another Avenger to help us defend but that we should get ready.”

“Where do we need to be?” Wanda immediately asked, moving off of the couch and towards the door as she spoke.

“Suited up and by the Quinjet in fifteen, Rogers wants us to move ASAP.”

Natasha nodded. “We’ll meet you there.”

Tony started to step out, calling to Natasha over his shoulder. “I want to hear about this baking secret later!”

“Next time,” she started to comment to Wanda with a small smile, “I have a feeling it’ll be a bit more difficult to get some time by ourselves.”

Wanda managed a small laugh back. “We’ll manage.”

**Author's Note:**

> For the record, I just googled a medovik recipe and used [this one](https://natashaskitchen.com/8-layer-honey-cake-recipe-medovik/) for reference, if anyone's interested! :)


End file.
